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Monday, January 16, 2012

Pepperoni & Cheese Monkey Bread

When I tell you.. "this is one of the most ingenious appetizer ever" I am not lying. I first saw this recipe on The food blog, The Sweets Life. You guys are familiar with monkey bread right? It is pieces of dough with cinnamon, sugar and a yummy glaze. You get it. This is a savory twist on that and I swear to you, I will make this for every party we have. This is perfect party food and it is really inexpensive to make. You can assemble it before hand and then throw it in the oven before guests arrive. I borrowed my sister's bundt pan ( thanks Kel) since I didn't have one. This is actually a great dish to make with kids too. It is really easy to make so they can easily help and I know they will like eating it. Who doesn't like pepperoni and cheese? Well, I guess if you don't you can fill them with whatever you want. Ham and cheese, veggies, steak and cheese, buffalo chicken and blue cheese. I just thought those up in five seconds. I'm sure you could think of more. You are creative.

Back to the recipe.I hope you enjoy this recipe because it is so yummy. Might I add, it was one of the most popular dishes at my party. When the dish comes out of the oven it does not seem like you will be able to pull apart the dough balls ( see Harold, I told you.) You totally can and paired with a zesty marinara sauce you can't loose.

One other note: I do not think I filled these enough. I kept thinking that they were too full. Just remember that the dough puffs up and you want to make sure they are as cheesy as possible!Stuff that cheese in there! So here is the recipe! Good luck!

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey BreadIngredients:-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced-4 tbsp butter-2 lbs pizza dough-6 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (about 48 pieces)-pepperoni (about 48 slices)-2-3 cups marinara sauce for servingDirections:1. In a small saucepan, heat garlic and butter over medium heat until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and allow to sit. Brush the inside of a bundt pan with the garlic butter.2. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten. Place a slice of pepperoni and a piece of cheese on each, folding the dough around the cheese and pepperoni and pinching well to seal.

3. Brush the pizza ball with the garlic butter and place in the prepared bundt pan. Continue until all dough has been used.

4. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 35 minutes, until top is browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.